Social Media has blurred the boundary lines of how adult service providers can interact and communicate with youth participants in programming. This training seeks to present best practices for outreach activities to youth that includes engagement strategies, codes of conduct, organizational liability, boundaries, mandated reporting, and digital footprints.

1. Time
to
Tech:
Tech
Outreach
to
Youth

2. Goals
• This
training
seeks
to
present
best
prac8ces
for
outreach
ac8vi8es
to
youth
that
includes
engagement
strategies,
codes
of
conduct,
organiza8onal
liability,
boundary
considera8on,
mandated
repor8ng
and
digital
footprints.

3. Time
to
Tech
Training
Team
• Mark
Andersen
–
Chicago
Public
Library
• Jenny
Lockerby
–
Chicago
Public
Library
• Kyla
Williams
–
Smart
Chicago
Collabora8ve

4. You
can’t
escape
tech
• Youth
today
live
in
an
uber-­‐
connected
world.
Whether
it’s
tex8ng
on
a
mobile
phone,
using
a
computer
at
school
or
gaming
with
friends,
technology
is
inextricably
woven
into
young
people’s
lives.
• For
nonprofits
to
remain
relevant
in
their
programs,
services
or
advocacy
targe8ng
youth,
technology
is
a
crucial
component.

5. Why
we
use
tech
in
youth
programs
• Our
kids
are
a
wired
genera8on,
and
many
educators—especially
those
under
30—view
tex8ng
and
Facebook
as
not
only
the
easiest,
quickest
way
to
connect
with
students,
but
also
as
valuable
tools
to
engage,
mo8vate
and
even
excite
them.
• hTp://www.usatoday.com/story/news/
na8on-­‐now/2014/04/09/facebook-­‐teachers-­‐
twiTer-­‐students-­‐schools/7472051/

6. Communica8on
Concerns
• Problems
typically
start
with
concern
for
a
child.
An
adult
says,
“If
you
need
help
or
somebody
to
talk
to,
call
or
text
me.”
• Calls
and
texts
are
now
FB
posts
and
Tweets
• That
can
develop
into
a
innocent
helping
rela8onship,
or
some8mes
emo8ons
get
involved,
and
the
situa8on
may
evolve
into
something
seemingly
inappropriate.

7. Where
it
went
wrong?
• Michael
Brown
case
in
Ferguson,
MO
• Youth
were
very
upset
and
wanted
to
express
themselves
• Youth
provider
wanted
to
demonstrate
a
lesson
on
social
jus=ce
and
peace
demonstra=ons
• Youth
planned
a
secret
demonstra=on
and
youth
provider
encouraged
the
youth
to
use
social
media
to
“spread
the
word”
• Youth
provider
tweeted
to
youth
encouraging
them
to
“Stand
Up
for
their
rights”
and
aCached
the
Bob
Marley
YouTube
Video
• Organiza=on
found
out
about
it
on
social
media
and
instructed
the
youth
that
demonstra=ons
could
not
be
done
on
private
property
• Youth
are
incensed.
Felt
like
“rights”
are
being
violated
• Youth
provider
is
incensed.
Felt
like
organiza=on
was
not
being
suppor=ve
to
expression
• Youth
provider
tells
her
college
son
about
the
situa=on
• Youth
move
forward
with
demonstra=on
and
it
gets
out
of
hand.
Not
peaceful
at
all.
• The
unrest
is
documented
all
over
social
media,
even
had
a
hashtag
• Youth
provider’s
college
son
posted
this
message
on
TwiCer:
Students
at
HS
tossing
it
up
for
Mike
Brown
and
my
mom
lead
the
cause
#HandsUpDontShoot

8. Codes
of
Conducts
• One
for
Adults
and
One
for
the
youth-­‐same
document
• Should
be
posted
publicly
• Signed
copies
from
par8cipants
as
part
of
program
record
• Posted
on
organiza8onal
website
Resource:
hTp://schools.nyc.gov/NR/
rdonlyres/
BCF47CED-­‐604B-­‐4FDD-­‐B752-­‐
DC2D81504478/0/
SMG_FINAL_20130415.pdf

9. Mandated
Reporter
• Any
of
the
following
persons
or
en88es,
who
have
reasonable
cause
to
believe
a
child
known
to
them
in
their
professional
or
official
capacity
may
be
an
abused
or
neglect
child
• hTps://mr.dcfstraining.org/UserAuth/Login!
loginPage.ac8on

10. Organiza8onal
Liability
• Another
person
should
also
have
the
login
informa8on
for
social
interac8ve
plajorms
with
youth
• Emails
should
always
have
another
adult
copied
• If
you
have
children,
do
not
have
them
pos8ng
as
you
to
be
cool
• Do
not
use
social
media
or
email
to
give
personal
advice,
use
it
for
instruc8on
and
example
sekng.

11. Lessons
Learned
• Smart
Chicago
“Youth-­‐
Led
Tech”
hTp://
www.smartchicagocollabo
ra8ve.org/work/
educa8on/youth-­‐led-­‐tech-­‐
program-­‐summer-­‐2015/

12. Engagement
Strategies
• Youth
Specific
Website
or
Sec8on
on
organiza8onal
website
-­‐
Pictures,
Pictures,
Pictures
• Youth
Blog
(Tumblr
or
Wordpress)
• Group
Pages
not
chats
or
inboxes
(Facebook
or
Slack)
• SMS
Group
Text
not
personal
texts

13. Digital
Footprints
• Things
live
on
the
internet
forever.
Even
a
deleted
tweet
or
FB
post
can
be
screenshot
and
redistributed.
• Remind
your
youth
and
yourselves
of
that.
• Encourage
your
youth
to
be
inten8onal
with
posts.
• 5
ques8ons
to
ask
before
pos8ng
-­‐
Am
I
seeking
approval?
-­‐
Am
I
boas8ng?
-­‐
Am
I
unhappy?
-­‐
Protec8ve
Moment?
-­‐
Is
it
kind?

14. 12
Things
Students
Should
Never
Post
• Illegal
ac8vi8es
• Bullying
• Teacher/Parent/Service
Provider
Trashing
• Confiden8al
Informa8on
• Overly
specific
loca8on
check-­‐ins
• Lie/Cheat/Plagiarize
• Threaten
Violence
• Unprofessional
Public
Profiles
• Post
Emo8onally
• Rely
on
Privacy
Sekngs
100%

15. 10
Do’s
of
Tech
Outreach
to
Youth
1. Have
a
policy
with
signature
2. Mandated
Reporter
Training
3. Establish
youth
friendly
alterna8ve
accounts
to
your
organiza8on’s
main
accounts
4. Work
in
the
open-­‐No
inbox
conversa8ons
5. Do
Group
Posts
versus
individual
communica8on
6. Ignore
friend
requests
from
youth,
but
speak
to
them
privately
and
lead
with
an
alterna8ve
7. Monitor
membership
in
groups
as
students
age
out,
remove
their
access
and
re-­‐engage
as
adult
volunteers
8. Do
invite
parents
or
guardians
to
follow
organiza8on
and
join
group
accounts
9. Youth
Specific
Website
or
Blog
Site
10. Do
teach
youth
about
appropriate
online
interac8ons
by
modeling

16. Ques8ons/Comments

17. Time
to
Tech
Tweet
Contacts
@jennylockerby
@smartchgokyla
@smartchicago
@chipublib
@hivechicagobuzz